


A Hopeful Reward

by spilledinkstains (LuLu_ZuZu99)



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25436557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuLu_ZuZu99/pseuds/spilledinkstains
Summary: Naomi just wants to get this over with; to follow the trail Cayde had left behind for her and put that chapter of her life behind her. She hadn't expected the stray she picked up along the way, nor how much their meeting would end up meaning to the both of them.(This is not a fix-it fic, more a healing fic.)
Relationships: Cayde-6/Guardian (Destiny), Original Female Character & Original Female Character
Kudos: 5





	A Hopeful Reward

**Author's Note:**

> Confession: I only starting playing D2 at the end of this past March and I didn't play D1. I'll be doing my absolute best to research everything, but I'll purposefully be leaving out most D1 content so I don't mess anything up there. 
> 
> This is the product of me crying at, like, 4 AM after finishing the Riskrunner mission bc I was v deep in my feels. 😔 Won't be longer than 3-4 chapters, updates when my muse decides to pop up again. Please r&r/kudo! :D <3

“Here,” Ghost says in her ear, “We need to land here.” Naomi nods, peering through her ship's window for a landing pad, spotting one between some trees. It’s large enough for her ship, but covered enough that no one will be able to notice her ship without effort. A good spot to park when she might be gone overnight. They land with a practiced ease; Naomi’s been to the EDZ more times then she can count, usually for a mission, but also occasionally just to stop in and say hi to Devrim and drop off some more tea from his husband, Marc. She hasn’t been by in a while not since… well not for a while. She makes a mental note to drop by before she leaves. 

Naomi shuts the ship down completely, flipping a switch to turn on the cloaking mechanisms. Amanda had just installed them, specially configured to only be visible on radar to fellow guardians and those few non-guardians with permissions from the Vanguard. Another useful tool for overnight missions. Heaving herself out of the pilot’s seat, Naomi walks behind it to her ship’s armory, a collection of her most used weapons. She goes with a hand cannon and a sub-machine gun, her go-to for lower-risk missions. After strapping those to her hip and thigh holsters, she pauses to deliberate over her heavier weapons.  _ What the hell _ , she thinks, grabbing her Whisper and clipping it onto her back, just in case. Now armed, she grabs her bag from the floor by the door, this one filled with some protein bars and water. Just because she  _ could _ survive a little longer than other humans without food, doesn’t mean that it was a pleasant feeling to do so. She had learned that lesson the hard way during the Red War and she had no desire to do so again. Finally ready to head out, Naomi grabs her helmet, sliding it over her head. 

“C’mon Ghost, let’s head out.”

* * *

Eventually, they reach the building Banshee marked on Naomi’s map. It doesn’t appear to be much from afar, just another old abandoned warehouse in the EDZ. Ever cautious, she makes her way up to a small ledge to scan the area. She’s glad she did when she spots the large walker stationed in front of it. Unclipping her sniper from her back, Naomi crouches and peers through it to get a lay of the land, a plan already forming in her mind of how to approach a side entrance she sees while avoiding the walker altogether. That plan flies from her mind the second she spots a brown blur zipping from the old entrance. Pulling back from the scope, Naomi turns her gaze back to the walker. Still no movement there, so whatever that was hadn’t caught it’s attention yet, at least. Pulling Whisper back to herself, Naomi peers through the scope again, this time focusing on the brown blur. It’s paused for now, quickly diving back behind a shipping container when a Dredge walks past it’s hiding spot. The next time it peeks out, Naomi gets a proper look, taking in familiar shoddy amour and obviously scavenged weapons.

“Fuck,” she whispers under her breath. Ghost hears her, because of course he does, and lets out a sigh she knows well. 

“You know,” Ghost tells Naomi, “We could just let them figure it out for themselves, let their ghost explain everything properly and help them through it… but I can tell by your glare that that’s not an option.”

Naomi holds her glare on him. She remembers what it was like being newly resurrected, suddenly thrust into a world and life she didn’t understand. Looking again, she can see the poor baby guardian shaking behind the container, clutching their gun to their chest. Slinging Whisper back into place, she stands, dusting off her knees and twisting her bag so it sits at her lower back. She begins her descent from the ledge, using the trees as cover on her way down, hopping from branch to branch. Once she’s crouched at a still safe distance from the walker, she turns to Ghost. 

“Can you contact their ghost, let them know that I’m here to assist?” she asks him. Ghost bobs up and down, his approximation of a nod. Naomi hears slight static as he starts up the communication.

“Ghost and New Light, this is Naomi and her ghost. We’re on the other side of this field, near the mountain ledge. We’re here to assist, if necessary.” There’s a long pause, long enough for Naomi to begin to worry, before they receive a response.

“This is Zaria’s ghost. Assistance would be appreciated Guardian, our weapon was damaged in a fight a bit ago and my guardian and myself are unable to repair it at the moment.” Naomi’s eyes widened. So that’s why they looked so scared. No weapon, still unsure of how to wield their light, and no knowledge of their surroundings and their enemies. Naomi lifts a hand, gesturing for Ghost to come closer and open a comm for her.

“Ghost, this is Naomi, can you put your charge on the line?”

“Of course Guardian, one moment.” A second later, a high-pitched feminine voice comes through, no louder than a whisper.

“T-this is Zaria. Y-you’re here to help?”

Naomi feels her heart clench. She hopes she’s wrong, but from the sound of the voice alone, this New Light doesn’t sound to be out of their teens. “That’s right, I’m here to help. I know this is all very confusing Zaria, but I need you to listen to me. Your ghost is going to help get you some grenades. Let me know when you have them ready.”

There’s some shuffling on the other end, whispers as the kid talks to her ghost and then a small whoosh of noise Naomi recognizes from when her own grenades are ready to go. Soon enough, Zaria is back on the line.

“Got them,” she says.

“Alright, great job, kid. Now here’s our plan; you see those orange lights on that walker's legs? Those are weak spots. When we get off the line and stash our ghosts, you’re going to lob your grenade at that light. I’m going to shoot at it at the same time and if all goes well it’ll shock the thing enough that it’ll drop and open it’s neck plating. That’ll only last for a few seconds though, so I want you to stay back and hide unless you think you can summon enough light for another grenade, okay?” No response. “Kid?”

“OH, sorry, I forgot you can’t see me,” she says. “Okay. I understand the plan.” Naomi cracks a smile. 

“Alright. Let’s do this kiddo, whenever you’re ready.”

The line cuts out, so Naomi takes this to mean the kid is ready. Peeking out from the rock she’s taken cover behind, she slides her hand cannon out from her thigh holster, gun at the ready for whichever leg she hits

A second later, a golden ball of light flies through the air, exploding on impact on the walker’s leg. Naomi is quick to follow through, firing at the same leg until she hears the telltale metal scraping noise of the neck opening. Jumping out of cover, she stows the hand cannon, charging her void grenade and tossing it at the half dozen Fallen running towards her, finishing off the one who remains with a blast of void energy. Swapping to her SMG, Naomi jumps onto the walker’s head, jumping in the air again as she rains down bullets into it, avoiding any strays that might ricochet. She thumps back onto the walker’s head only to jump again, tossing the old magazine and slamming a new one into place. Just as she launches herself into the air again, a solar grenade lands on the glowing wires, tearing a hole in them. Looking off to the side for a second, she sees the kid do a fist pump in the air. Naomi flings a thumbs up in her direction before focusing back on the neck. The magazine is almost empty when she hears the rumble signalling that the neck port is closing. Using the last of her glide, she twists herself to the side, falling to the ground and rolling behind cover with the kid. She makes it just in time, the arc energy the thing releases knocking over the barrel next to them, thankfully not one of the exploding kind. The kid jumps, trying to summon her grenade, only to realize she can’t and then finally realizing that the person next to her isn't shooting.

Naomi presses a button on the side of her helmet, the dark fog that conceals her face clearing and the window turning clear. Her dark brown hair is hidden, pulled up into a bun and tucked into her helmet; but her dark brown eyes, tanned skin, and the scar that cuts through her top lip are all visible. The kid does the same. Naomi feels her heart clench again. Dammit, it really is just a teenager, and an Awoken one at that. Her white eyes are wide, bits of black bangs hanging over her brow, visible through the panel. A black filigree design marks her pale grey face, placed high upon her forehead, and the kid bites at her black stained lips, worrying at them before she works up the courage to speak.

“What do we d-do next ma’am?” she asks. Naomi almost snorts, but she restrains herself, for the kid’s sake. 

“Rinse and repeat kiddo, until that thing goes down.” Naomi pulls out her hand cannon, handing it grip-first to Zaria, along with a few extra rounds. “Take this, I want you watching my back and taking down the little shits that are going to try and sneak up on me while I fire at the neck. Your grenade ready to go?” The kid takes a deep breath, steeling herself, and nods.

“Alright.” Naomi stands, “Let’s finish this thing.”

Leaving cover, Naomi launches herself into the air, hovering in front of the walker to grab it’s attention while Zaria tosses the grenade at a leg. Dismissing her light, Naomi plummets, running off to the side to shoot the leg Zaria had hit. Zaria joins this time, firing her borrowed hand cannon and the neck port pops open once again. 

“Nice job!” Naomi yells over the din, followed by: “Duck!” as she throws her own grenade over Zaria’s head and at the cluster of Fallen behind the kid. Zaria turns towards the blast, yelling a quick, “Thanks!” in return before running behind the walker to chase down the remaining ones. Shaking her head, Naomi jumps back onto the walker’s head, repeating her earlier strategy. A magazine and a half is all it takes, the thing letting out a loud mechanical whir before crashing to the ground. Naomi jumps back, ducking behind cover and waiting for the thing to blow. Only when she hears the scream does she remember that she forgot to warn the kid. Hurtling up, Naomi scans around, spotting the kid about 10 yards away, thrown into the wall of the building by the blast. Naomi pushes herself off of the walker's remains, speeding towards Zaria where she lay crumpled against the wall. Dropping next to her, Naomi conjures a healing rift, sliding a hand around Zaria’s face, turning the kid towards her. 

“Kid? Talk to me.” Naomi orders. Zaria wheezes, but manages to speak.

“Still here ma’am, hurting like a mother fucker, though.” Naomi chuckles.

“The rift should have you fe-”

“Behind you!” Zaria screams, and Naomi turns, but not quick enough. A Captain, even larger and better armored then they usually are, strikes out at her with a blade, slicing her in the side. Naomi grunts, the well thankfully still active and managing to heal the small would quickly. Zaria is going to need more time though, her injuries probably going to need her ghost to help. Behind the Captain, Naomi spots more small-timers, a few shanks and Vandals, nothing that would bother her if she were by herself. But she’s not, and in addition to being low on ammo, she’s also now low on patience. 

Yelling, Naomi shoots at the Captain, drawing its attention away from Zaria and onto herself, while also piercing its shield. The Captain turns to her, it and it’s minions following her as she glides backwards and up into the air. Calling upon her light, Naomi feels the familiar tingle across her skin as it envelops her, goose bumps breaking out across her skin wherever the purple tinged Void energy touches. Pulling her right arm back, Naomi reaches as if to grab the light, gathering it in her palm into an orb of pure Void, before flinging it into the shield-less Captain and it’s followers. They don’t stand a chance. 

Floating down slowly, Naomi lands in front of the Captain, flipping it onto its side and rummaging around. Finding what she was looking for, Naomi walks up to the kid, now healed, but still sitting in front of the wall. Extending her arm, Naomi presents her with a shock rifle. The kid takes it, returning Naomi’s hand cannon, and Naomi squats down next to her.

“Now, Fallen tech isn’t exactly the most reliable, but this should last you long enough to get to Devrim in Trostland. He can provide you with some basic weapons and a place to rest up. After that you’ll want to head to the Farm. It’s about a half a day's walk from where Dev is stationed, but by then you’ll be plenty experienced and it shouldn’t be any trouble. You talk to Suraya Hawethorne, tell her I sent you and she’ll have Amanda set you up with one of my ships until you can get your own. You got all that?”

Zaria simply stared, jaw dropped, before sputtering, “H-how the hell did you  _ do _ that? Can  _ I _ do that? My Light is, like, orange, how do I make it purple? Or, oh! Can I make a big  _ orange  _ ball of Light?”

Naomi slapped her face into her palm. Sighing fondly, she looked at the kid’s ghost. “I assume you were listening.” The ghost bobbed in answer. “Thanks,” she told it, standing. Pressing the button on her mask and returning the fog, Naomi returned her guns to their holsters, giving herself a quick inventory pat down before responding.

“Listen, kid, I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but those are ones you can ask your Vanguard when you get to the Tower. I would just fly you there myself, but I have a mission I need to finish first.” The kids look of disappointment resembled that of a kicked puppy, but Naomi managed to resist it. “I’ll be seeing you,” she says, walking away.

“Wait!” the kid calls, and Naomi, always the softie, turns to look at the kid. She’s standing now, hands twisting together. “Who… who’s my Vanguard? Like, when I get to the tower, who do I ask for?”

Naomi looks her up and down, a twist in her gut beginning to form. “Ghost,” she says, addressing Zaria’s ghost, “What’s her class?”

The ghost sinks down a little, already seeming to know how Naomi will react. “Hunter,” the ghost says. “My charge is a hunter.”

Naomi sucks in a sharp breath, tears forming briefly in her eyes before she blinks to whisk them away. She’s suddenly glad she turned her mask back on earlier. “You…” she doesn’t know how to finish that sentence.  _ You don’t have one; you did, he was an amazing man; but he’s dead now and no one is able to fill his shoes because how do you fill a gap that large in not only the Vanguard but the hearts of everyone who knew and loved him, who all would have gladly died in his place?  _ So, instead, she says, “Change of plans. Kiddo, you’re coming with me. Follow close, watch your step, and don’t shoot me. Capeesh?”

Just like that, Zaria perks up, clutching her gun tight and accidentally shooting a round into the ground, narrowly missing her own foot. She squeaks, but readjusts her grip properly, so Naomi chooses not to say anything of it. “Yes ma’am, thank you ma’am!”

Naomi rolls her eyes. “Fucking hell kid, just call me Naomi, got it?” 

Zaria nods her head so fast that Naomi is surprised she doesn’t give herself whiplash. “ Yes ma- I mean, yes, Naomi!”

“Alrighty then,” Naomi says, turning back around. “Head out.” 


End file.
